An Actor's Dream
by Roza-Dimka-Reader
Summary: Dimitri Belikov, an aspiring actor is struggling to keep his life together. With his family halfway across the world, a job that seems to be non-existent and a relationship that is close to sinking, life seems more than hard. But will a certain troubled young woman help him sort his life out? And will he in return, turn her life around and make it worth living? AH
1. Chapter 1

"Dimitri, come on, come to bed…" her voice wafted out seductively from the bedroom.

"One second, Tasha," I called back, running my hands through my hair. I glanced up to take another look in the mirror.

I had a major audition tomorrow – the most important one I'd had in a while. My agent had just about managed to scrape it for me. To say I was a little nervous was an understatement. The acting business was tiresome, and more than a few times, I contemplated giving it all up and going back home…

But I wasn't someone who just _gave up_ when things got hard. And so I always stayed, preferring to keep on trying.

I took a few deep breaths and finally walked out of the en suite. I switched off the light and then climbed into my side of the bed, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes; knowing that sleep was the only thing that would calm the nervous fluttering's in my stomach.

Tasha – my girlfriend so to speak - however, had other ideas.

As soon as I lay down, she immediately jumped me.

"Tash…do you mind if we don't tonight?" I asked her as her hands already found themselves at the waistband of my pajama bottoms. She froze where she was kissing my neck.

"What?" she asked disbelievingly, she leaned away from me and looked as though she had heard me wrong.

"It's just…I'm not really in the mood, you know, with this audition tomorrow and everything," I explained, wishing I could take back what I had said; the look on her face was a little terrifying if I was being honest.

"Let me get this straight…" she said, sitting up. It was only now that I realised she was wearing some new, expensive-looking lingerie. God, I was _really_ worked up about this audition if I was missing details like that. "You invite me to stay the night at your place…and you don't want to have sex?" she asked as though it was the craziest thing she had ever heard. The calm façade she wore would have been relieving…if it hadn't been for the almost angry gleam in her eyes.

"Yeah," I answered simply.

She just stared at me.

"What the fuck, Dimitri!" she exclaimed.

"What is so awful about me wanting to spend some time with you that didn't include having sex? Relationships are more than that. We should be able to sit down and have a quiet night-in or even a conversation without feeling each other up! I haven't really talked to you properly in months!" I retorted. It was true, all Tasha wanted to do was fuck.

"That's because all you ever want to talk about is these stupid auditions you go to!" she yelled back. "Why don't you just realise that it's never going to happen! I mean, for the love of god, be a man and get a real job so we don't have to live off my wages for the rest of our lives!"

She was breathing heavily by the end of her rant. I just stared at her in shock.

Her face softened.

"Love, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to blurt it all out like that. It's just…you need to stop chasing this career. Face it, acting is never going to happen for you."

I turned away from her, not being able to stand looking at her face a moment longer. Acting had been a dream of mine since I was a little boy. I had loved drama as a kid and when I was old enough, I moved to America to pursue it as a career. I had been to many auditions since being here – not many of them having many results. The biggest acting job I had ever gotten was a small TV commercial two years back. Tasha had been the producer when I got that job and that was where we had first met. We went on a few dates and after a couple of weeks, we made it official.

Back then, the mere mention of her name, or when she rang, used to make me soar high. Nowadays however, I didn't feel that same level of elation when she stopped by. In fact, I realised, it was the opposite. It felt more like an annoyance than anything else.

Tasha had called me after that audition and told me how impressed she, and everyone, had been by my skills. She had boosted my confidence and encouraged me to keep going - that everything would work out eventually. And I had believed her.

There had been one thing though…

"Tasha…when we first met…" She looked at me expectantly. "Did I get that job because I was a good actor…or because you asked them to give it to me?"

I had always been too afraid of the answer to ask the question…but it was time now. I needed to know the truth come from her mouth; even though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

I prepared myself to hear the answer she was probably going to give me. What I wasn't expecting, was for her to laugh.

"A good actor! Dimitri please!" She said, trying to catch her breath. "Of course I had to pull some strings…but I did it because I liked you." She said it as though it were a compliment, and I felt myself recoil as her sharp nails made a trail up my chest and she clung to me like a monkey. She began to lick and suck on my neck. I sat unresponsive as she tried to get a reaction out of me.

"Get out."

Her tongue froze on my skin and she pulled away from me.

"What?" she asked, looking taken aback.

"I said, get out." I replied. I was calm on the outside…but I was raging on the inside.

"Dimitri…what did I do?" She turned her puppy dog eyes on me – the ones that I had fallen for so many times.

But not this time.

I pulled myself out of bed, dragging her with me. After pushing her out the door, I threw her a hoodie to cover herself up and her bag and slammed the door shut.

I was fuming. She had never believed in me as an actor. Hell, she didn't even think I was good! She had given me my first real acting job because she wanted to sleep with me…that was all.

As I paced back and forth in anger, a picture of myself and Tasha when we had gone to California last year caught my eye. I flung it across the apartment, effectively smashing the frame to pieces. Glass littered the ground.

I remembered what my mother had told me a few years ago when I had just started out. Acting was a tough business, and when I felt tired and like giving up – just take a few deep breaths and try again tomorrow.

Was Tasha right though? Was I really that awful? Was I wasting my time and only fooling myself by going from audition to audition?

I took a deep breath and walked over to where the debris lay on the floor. I picked the glass up carefully and threw it in the bin, as well as the ruined picture that had fallen on the ground.

For once, I didn't want to think about my job…or even my life. I was tired – both physically and emotionally. And there was only one way to cure tiredness.

Sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, 21 reviews for chapter 1 - thanks you guys! **

**and I just wanted to say - I'm not American, but my thoughts and my heart goes out to all of the families and friends of the babies and everyone else that was killed or hurt in the massacre over there. R.I.P.**

**Chapter 2**

I thought when I woke the next morning that I'd feel regret and annoyance at myself for what I had done to Tasha last night.

Strangely enough…I didn't care.

I cast all thoughts of Tasha out of my head as I readied myself for this audition. It was being held in the late afternoon, giving me plenty of time to prepare.

I showered well and shaved carefully, all the while reading over lines I had revised, revised and revised again.

Eventually it was time.

I climbed into my car and drove the ten miles to the actor's studio where the auditions were taking place.

I took a deep breath and got out of the car.

* * *

**FEW HOURS LATER**

"Dammit!"

I slammed the car door as hard I could in frustration.

All through the damn audition, all I could think off was Tasha's irritating voice penetrating my mind…reminding me of my worries that maybe I was making a fool of myself.

Basically, the audition was god awful.

I was halfway back to my apartment when I decided that what I really needed right was, was a good stiff drink.

I swerved the car around in a U-turn, creating cars behind me to honk in annoyance. I continued driving until I reached the first bar I could find. I pulled haphazardly into the parking lot, carelessly taking up two parking spots.

I pushed my way in the door and noticed that the bar was almost completely empty. The thought was banished from my mind as soon as I saw the bartender look at me expectantly.

"Give me your strongest stuff," I told him, sitting down on one of the tall stools and putting my head in my hands.

"Rough day?" he asked me, looking sympathetic. I nodded in reply.

"I got just the thing for you," he said and went to retrieve whatever he was going to give me.

I ran a hand through my hair as I took in my surroundings. It was then that I noticed a slumped over form a few stools away from me. It was a woman, most definitely. I couldn't tell her age as her face was buried in her arms and was laid over the counter. Her long dark hair was a little dirty looking and sprawled all around her on the shiny wood.

"Is she okay?" I asked the bartender once he returned with my drink. I downed it straight away, ignoring the strong burning feeling as it ran down my throat and into my stomach. I ordered another one.

"Yeah, she comes here often," he informed me. "She's been coming a lot more lately, though. You should see that druggie of a boyfriend she has – never met a bigger ass in my life."

I frowned and approached the girl. She lifted her head to look at me, obviously aware that someone was close.

"What do you want?" she demanded. I studied her closely. Despite her tanned complexion, she was pale and a little pasty looking. Her eyes bloodshot and a little glassy and despite the fact that it was 90 degrees out, she was wearing jeans and a heavy jumper, as well as a thick scarf.

Underneath the layers of clothes and the heavy make-up she was sporting, he could that she was an attractive woman, and she was young. She looked about five years younger than me.

"Well?" she said when I didn't say anything.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay," I told her honestly and took the seat beside her.

"I'm fine," she replied shortly and picked up her drink.

There was a moment of silence.

"What age are you?" I asked her suddenly. I wondered if she was even of drinking age yet.

"21." She replied and downed the rest of her scotch. "You?"

"24," I told her. There was another moment of silence before I spoke up again.

"What's your name?"

She looked at me in confusion, as though wondering why I wanted to know these things. She cast it aside however, and chose to answer me.

"My name's R-"

"Rose!"

The door of the pub suddenly slammed open and an angry looking man entered.

"Uh oh," the bartender said under his breath and I saw him back away slightly.

"Leave me alone, Adrian!" the girl I had been speaking to screamed and jumped from her seat. "I told you it's over!"

She tried to move passed him but he grabbed her by her upper arm.

"It's not over until I say it's over," he growled into her face. She struggled against his hold and screamed when he grabbed with his other hand as well.

"Please just leave me alone!" She thrashed around, desperately and angrily trying to get out of his grip.

"Where's my money, Rose?" he shouted at her, shaking her harshly.

"Dude, leave her alone," I got up from my feet, walking towards the scuffle. I could vaguely hear the bartender urging me to stay out of it. I ignored him.

"Who the fuck are you?" he said to me. He turned back to Rose. "Are you fucking sleeping with him or what?"

"No!" she answered quickly shaking her head back and forth.

"You know what I think? I think you're a fucking, lying whore!" he screamed at her.

And then he hit her.

She fell to the ground, gripping her face. I saw red.

I charged at the bastard who was about to go back for more.

Well I tried to…but what I didn't realise was that the drink had already begun to go to my head. I stumbled a little as I reached him and he took the chance to send a punch to my temple. I felt pain first, and then stars danced in front of my eyes. I felt more pain in my stomach as he continued to send blows to my stomach.

And then I passed out.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so sorry for long wait! I'm sure you can understand how hard it is to get time to write – especially around the holidays! But here is the next chapter! :)**

**Please continue to review – they make me so so happy and I'll try and update again ASAP. Thank you all for the constant reviews bugging me to update! :P they really do motivate me! :D**

**Also – Dimitri is in **_**no way **_**a wuss. A lot of you were surprised that Dimitri didn't, well, kick Adrian's ass. Trust me…that day will come ;)**

**On with the chapter!**

_Previously:_

_"You know what I think? I think you're a fucking, lying whore!" Adrian screamed at her._

_And then he hit her._

_She fell to the ground, gripping her face. I saw red._

_I charged at the bastard who was about to go back for more._

_Well I tried to…but what I didn't realise was that the drink had already begun to go to my head. I stumbled a little as I reached him and he took the chance to send a punch to my temple. I felt pain first, and then stars danced in front of my eyes. I felt more pain in my stomach as he continued to send blows to my stomach._

_And then I passed out._

**Beginning of Chapter 3**

"Dude, you alright?"

I groaned as I sat up and took in my surroundings. The bartender was crouched in front of me.

"Yeah I'm fine," I told him.

He helped me and my world spun a little.

"You sure, bud? He gave you quite a hook in the head." He informed me, looking genuinely concerned.

"Yeah I'm sure, thanks," I told him and sat myself on one of the stools.

"Who was that guy?" I asked him, looking at the door.

"_That_ was that bastard Adrian Ivashkov. He's bad news man. I feel bad for poor Rose, but there's nothing anyone can do."

"What do you mean?" I asked him, curious as to how that young girl was involved with someone like Adrian.

"Nobody really knows the details – just that they're going out. Well, they were anyway, but she left him. He followed her though, claiming that she owed him money and hasn't let her go since."

No wonder the girl looked so miserable.

"Who's the girl?"

"A nobody – Rose Hathaway, I think her name is. A high school dropout who got mixed up with the wrong crowd – you know they type." He explained.

I left the bar when I was feeling sober enough and drove home.

The first thing I did when I got home was put ice on my bruised eye.

What I should have done, was gone to bed and forgotten about the day's events, however I couldn't. All I could think about was Rose, and wonder why no-one would help her. The bartender had mentioned how Rose went to that particular pub often, so I decided to go there every day to try and run into her again.

And that's exactly what I did.

There was no sign of her the next day, or the one after that. But on the third day, when I was just arriving, I spotted Adrian dragging her out of the building by her hair. He shoved her into his car and I quickly followed them as he pulled out.

I followed them all the way out of town and managed to stay hidden as they pulled into a drive – it wasn't something I had to worry about too much; Adrian was too preoccupied struggling to get his girlfriend inside the run down house.

I was deciding whether or not it was a good idea to follow them inside when I got my answer. Three other burly looking men strode out of the house and into another car. I suddenly realised where Rose lived.

She lived in a crack house.

Hating myself, I stayed put, hoping and praying that Adrian wouldn't hurt her too badly. But storming into a crack house that was full of violent drug-dealers unarmed seemed like a pretty stupid thing to do right now.

I waited for hours, hating myself every minute that I left her in there. I felt an utmost sense of relief when I saw Adrian leave the house once again, two men in tow.

I stayed hidden until Adrian had driven away and then slipped out of my car. I hurried down the pathway leading up to the front door and managed to get the door open. I tiptoed carefully around the house in case there were others lurking around the place.

A heard a slight movement through the ceiling above my head, alerting me to where Rose was. I moved quickly, yet carefully, up the stairs and across the landing, grimacing when a particularly old floorboard would creak or groan as I stepped on it.

I finally made it to the room of my destination and pushed the door open gently.

The room was very dim. The first thing I noticed was the passed out man on the bed. He had had shaggy blonde hair and if I didn't know any better, I would have said that the man didn't own a razor. And if he did, well, he most certainly didn't know how to use it.

He had days-worth of thick stubble lining his jaw and his mouth lay agape against the pillow. From this angle, I could see exactly how yellow and black his teeth were – what was left of them anyway. I cringed at the stench wafting off of this disgusting man. Beer and smoke – most definitely not a nice combination.

However, this creature only held his attention for a moment, as only a minute later, my attention was immediately redirected to the small bundle on the ground that was Rose.

She appeared to be asleep and looked…ghastly.

I hurried forward to see if she was okay. When I was on his knees beside her, the first thing I realised was that she was not asleep, she was unconscious. I lifted one of her eyelids using my thumb and took note of the bloodshot eye staring blankly back at me. It scared me a little. I checked her thin wrist for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when I felt the faint but steady beat against my two fingers.

"Rose?" I nudged her ever so gently, seeing if I could emit a reaction from her to no such luck.

My head snapped up when I was alerted by the sound of car doors shutting and loud voices carrying through the yard.

One voice in particular made my stomach drop.

Adrian was back.

Not thinking twice, I pulled Rose's limp body into my arms and was surprised by how light she was. I flew out of the room, not looking back at the drunk on the bed and hurried down the stairs. As I reached the bottom, the handle of the front door turned and I spun in his tracks and ran in the opposite direction.

I reached a grungy old kitchen that looked like it was probably covered in all kinds of germs and bacteria that would cause salmonella. My mother would have a heart attack if she saw a room as important as a kitchen in such a state. I cursed myself for getting distracted and dismissed any thoughts I had about the filthy room and focused solely on getting out of there – alive, preferably.

I clearly heard Adrian walk up the stairs and hurriedly searched for a way out, knowing that Adrian was only seconds away from discovering that Rose was not where she was meant to be.

I threw caution to the wind when I heard Adrian curse and shout angrily at the man who was on the bed and propped a stiff window open. I placed Rose quickly into the bushes outside and climbed effortlessly out the window. She whimpered ever so quietly when I picked her up once again but I didn't take much notice. I couldn't – not yet.

I ran to where I had parked his car and laid her down in the backseat.

Praying that Adrian hadn't seen me leave with her, I sped off in the direction of my apartment.

**AN - review please! :D pretty please? :P**

**You guys, I have some new drabble oneshots published if any of you want to have a gawk at them while waiting for the next update. They're published under the heading "Drabble Oneshots" so feel free to check them out :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

POV: Rose

I stirred from my slumber, feeling oddly comfortable. I had pain in my head, and I couldn't get my thoughts together. When I opened my eyes, my vision was blurred and I had a burning craving within me for a cigarette.

I patted down my pockets but came up empty handed. Adrian, that bastard must have taken them for himself after he touched me and knocked me out again. I sat up and suddenly realised that I was not on the old rotting wooden floor of my bedroom, but in a soft, plush bed.

There was not one comfortable bed in that house. I would know; I'd been in them all.

I rubbed my stinging eyes and winced in pain. I tenderly touched my left eye, feeling swelling already emerging from yesterday's beating.

_Where the hell was I?_

Maybe I was so high last night that I didn't remember booking a client. But I didn't recognise this bedroom...

Just then the door opened, and a vaguely familiar man walked in. He had been tiptoeing, as though not wanting to wake me. I tried to figure out how I knew this man. My mind recalled some fuzzy memories of a bar.

That's when I remembered.

"You!" I gasped. "You're the guy from the bar!"

He gave me a small smile. "Yeah, I-"

"That's why you tried to save me!" I yelled. I was starting to feel sick. I _really_needed that cigarette. Maybe something stronger.

"I-What?" This man looked confused.

"Can we just get this over with?"

"I really have no idea what you mean," he replied. Looking into his face, he seemed the picture of sincerity…but I knew all about masks and how people would lie through their teeth to get what they wanted.

"Just fuck me and pay me so that I can get home."

His expression turned to shock.

"No, that's not what I-"

"Just do it already!" I screamed at him. I was getting frustrated; I really needed my fix.

"Rose, that's not why-"

"How do you know my name?" I demanded angrily.

He blinked at me.

"You told me."

"I did?"

"Yes." He was answering me calmly, but I could see the shock at my outburst on his face.

We were silent for a minute. Then he walked towards me. I couldn't help myself; I flinched and waited for it to begin.

But it didn't.

Instead, his fingers gently lifted my face. He waited until I re-opened my eyes to speak.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said softly. "I promise." I looked at him, not daring to believe those honest eyes of his. Adrian used to say things like that to me…and then he began to beat me.

"Rose…believe me, I didn't break you out of that house just to have my way with you."

"You broke me out?" I exclaimed. "No, no, no, I have to go back," I pulled the covers off myself and jumped out of bed. The man jumped up to stop me.

"Please let me go…" I begged.

"No, Rose, I want to help you," Dimitri said, looking as desperate as I was feeling.

"You can't…" I felt tears threaten to spill. "I have to go back, before he notices I'm gone!"

"Why?"

"Because he'll kill me…" I said, my voice finally breaking and the tears successfully spilling out and running down my cheeks. The man didn't say anything else. He did, however, pull me into a hug. I froze, unsure of how to react.

A hug.

It was such a simple gesture – one a family or friends exchanged so frequently with each other.

But I had no family. I had no friends. I received no hugs.

They felt…nice.

So I let this stranger hug me, and I eventually hugged him back.

"Don't worry, Rose," he whispered softly into my hair. "I'm going to look after you, ok? I promise."

"Can I ask you something?" I said finally, my voice muffled.

"Of course," he answered, leaning back to look at me.

"What's your name again?"

He smiled and gave a small chuckle.

"It's Dimitri. Dimitri Belikov."


	5. Chapter 5

***So sorry if I randomly switch into 3****rd**** person – I keep catching myself doing that because I'm writing multiple stories :P Enjoy :) Review :D**

**Chapter 5**

I didn't really know what to do or how deep Rose's issues were. One thing was for sure, however...

Rose had problems.

"Rose?" I asked her tentatively.

She was currently curled up in a blanket on my couch. After watching me carefully for the last two hours, she had finally relaxed and decided I wasn't going to attack her. She was now staring into space.

"Rose?" I repeated a little louder. Her head snapped towards me, looking unsure again. "Are you okay?" I continued.

She didn't answer, she just turned back to stare at the blank TV screen.

"Rose?"

"No!" she shouted suddenly, making me jump slightly. "No, I'm not okay! I need a damn cigarette!"

I groaned internally. I hated smoking – that was why I wouldn't go and buy them for her when she had asked to me to get some a couple of hours ago. However, I knew that I was going about it the wrong way. Rose had only gotten more irritable and more fidgety.

"Fine," I finally agreed. "I'll be back in ten minutes."

I shut and locked the door behind me to make sure she would be safe while I was gone.

The cool air blowing into my face was refreshing. I took deep breaths as I walked to the small newsagents down the street. I asked for the cigarettes and walked back to the apartment as quickly as I could.

I unlocked the door and walked back inside the warm apartment.

"Rose?" I called her, seeing that she was no longer on the couch. The blanket was though, and it seemed to have been tossed to the side.

"Rose?" I walked towards the bathroom door, figuring that's where she would have been.

I began to feel uneasy when I found the bathroom door unlocked and open. That feeling climbed to full on panic when a soft breeze blew against the back of my neck. I spun and ran towards the draft coming from the bedroom, and froze when I saw the window wide open.

My apartment was on the first floor; high enough to stop burglars from entering through the windows, but low enough that you could probably climb out in an emergency.

"Rose?" I yelled out the window, desperately searching for the troubled girl. I pulled my head back inside and tore off out the door, not bothering to waste time locking it. He didn't have anything valuable in there for anyone to steal anyway.

I jumped into my car and immediately started driving around the local area. I was so focused on trying to spot the dark haired brunette that I didn't notice my fuel indicator dropping lower and lower.

I _did_ notice it eventually, however…when it ran out.

"Shit…" I hit the steering wheel with force and lay my head down against it, ignoring the protesting cars behind me. I felt like hitting my head against a brick wall…repeatedly.

It was official…my life was a complete mess.

"Why me?" I asked no one in particular.

I almost questioned why _I _had to be the one to find the messed up girl but immediately stopped that train of thought.

Although I didn't know _what_ exactly, I _did _know that Rose had been through a lot – especially over the last couple of years. I felt a pull to her – like I needed to help her.

And not only did I feel like I needed to help her, but I _wanted _to help her.

Call it fate, or call it coincidence; there was something about her that made me believe that she deserved a second chance at life. A second chance at getting everything she deserved.

Of course, none of that mattered if I couldn't find her.

I pulled himself together and flipped off the honking cars around me as they shouted obscenities for stopping in an awkward place – not that it was my fault.

I ran to the nearest phone booth and quickly dialled a line to get some help towing my car to the nearest gas station. Once I had done that, I didn't hang around. I set off on foot, pushing through the busy crowd. People shot me annoyed looks as I shoved through them but I didn't stop to apologise.

"Rose?" I yelled over the throng of people. My attempts to find her were fruitless. Who knew where she would be at this stage.

I stopped when I neared the outskirts of town. There were no people out here; just dusty old buildings.

I sighed heavily and leaned my full body weight against the red brick wall behind me. I rubbed my face, feeling deflated.

How could I have been so idiotic as to leave her by herself? Her mind was in such an instable state at the moment.

"Dimitri?"

I froze, my head still in my hands.

"Dimitri, is that you?"

I removed my hands and turned to follow her voice. For the first time, I realised that there was a small alleyway in between this building and the next. I walked carefully into the dim tunnel.

"Rose?" I rushed forward when I saw her, in a crouched position.

"Heey, comrade," she slurred and patted my cheek.

"Rose, what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry I left…but I really needed some of this," she indicated to the cigarette she was smoking. "And I knew that you wouldn't be able to get it."

Looking closer at the object in her hand, I realised that she wasn't smoking a normal cigarette…she was smoking weed.

Figuring now would be the least helpful time for a lecture; I pulled her up on her feet.

"Come on, let's go home now."

"Okay," she slurred. The faint smell of alcohol wafted off her. She leaned against me and I supported her out of the alley and back down the street. We, thankfully, weren't too far from my apartment and it only took about twenty minutes to get there.

Once inside, I led her to my bedroom and pulled back the covers. I didn't remove her clothing for her, figuring that really wouldn't help the whole 'I'm not going to sleep with you' dilemma – especially as I figured she probably wouldn't remember much of tonight tomorrow.

She lay down, her head sinking deeply into the pillow, and she sighed. It was the first emotion that could be considered not confused, scared, upset, angry or depressed I had seen on her. It was nice…even if she _was_ high.

I turned off the overhead light on the ceiling but left the small bedside lamp on, knowing that she got frightened in the dark.

"Dimitri…wait…"

I turned and saw that she was looking at me with those unfocused eyes.

"Yes, Rose?"

"Where is he?" she asked, her voice so quiet that he had to strain to hear it.

"Where's who, Rose?"

"My baby…" she whispered.

I felt shock. She had baby?

"I don't know, Rose, I'm sorry," was all I said. I was too in shock to know how to respond.

"It's okay…it's okay…he's okay now…" I watched as a tear slipped out of the corner of her eye and made a small wet mark on the pillow. "I remember now…"

She eyes closed again and she passed out.

I stood there frozen for a few moments, before slowly backing out of the room. I left the door open a crack to allow a soft amount of light to shine through.

I felt…I didn't know what I was feeling. It was all very overwhelming.

I grabbed a spare pillow from the linen press, as well as a quilt, and made myself a small bed on the couch.

Sleeping that night was close to impossible.

I was so torn. It was obviously to me now that Rose was in dire need of help, but I didn't know what that help was. Praise and encouragement? Love? Or something more drastic, like counselling? Maybe even rehab?

I turned and groaned into my pillow, more confused now than I ever had been before.


	6. Chapter 6

**I want to thank you guys for being for patient. I know you want more updates more often, but I have four stories undergo at the moment and am trying to take it in turns updating. If I'm lucky, I'll get one chapter written a week so for the next while at least, the chapters may be a little spaced out. **

**Thanks for all your reviews and support – means a lot :)**

**Chapter 6**

I tossed and turned from my left side to my right, squirming to get comfortable. Eventually, I ended up on my back, staring at my living room's ceiling.

I had taken up residence on the couch as there was a certain unconscious woman in my bed.

She had been sleeping off the alcohol and got knows what else for the past fourteen hours, and was showing no signs of waking up soon.

I checked on her every twenty minutes to make sure she was okay, and so far, she just seemed to be in a deep sleep. I had a weird feeling that she hadn't slept a full night for a long while. Well judging by the dark circles under her eyes, this was the case.

I sat up suddenly when there was a loud knock on the door.

Cautiously, I slipped out from under the blanket on the couch and tiptoed towards the door.

_What if it was Adrian? _

I froze, my hand on the door handle.

Deciding to man up, I pulled it open, preparing myself for the violent drug dealer.

What I wasn't prepared for, was Tasha.

"Dimka!" she squealed and threw herself into my arms. I froze in shock.

"Tash- Tasha?"

"Miss me?" she pulled back and grinned at me.

"Wh-" I was at a loss for words. The biggest thing that stunned me, was that I hadn't even given her five seconds thought since I had met and saved Rose. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd give you another chance…I mean, yeah you were an asshole, but I understand that you are just frustrated at yourself for not being good enough to pursue the career you want to-"

"Tasha, stop." I ordered her. She looked quite stunned at me actually standing up to her foe once. "You need to leave."

Her stunned expression changed to complete and utter shock.

"Leave? Why-" she froze, her eyes darting to something behind me.

Or some_one._

"Dimitri?" Rose stood in the doorway of my bedroom…wearing nothing but one of my shirts, having dirtied the clothes she had been wearing. She looked tired. And sick.

"Who the _hell_ is that?" Tasha demanded.

"A friend," I replied, lamely. It wasn't exactly an easy story to explain.

"I dump you and you run off and fuck the first whore you can find?" she laughed scornfully. I felt anger well up inside me and I grabbed her wrist.

"_Don't _talk about her like that," I growled, releasing her. I hadn't grabbed her hard enough to hurt her, just hard enough to shock her. I looked back at Rose and saw just how ruffled she looked. The drugs were leaving her system, and she looked very pale and sick.

It occurred to me how stupid it was of me to just expect her to be able to cut the drugs she had been on for years out of her life just like that. What she needed was professional help; to be weaned off the drugs slowly, bit by bit.

"_Please _don't tell me you have feelings for a slut, Dimka," Tasha said, covering her hurt at how I was treating her with disdain for Rose. "I thought you were better than that."

I was about to retort, but got distracted. With Tasha, my ex-girlfriend standing in front of me, and Rose my- well, I didn't know what she was really, standing behind me, I hadn't realised that Rose had walked closer.

Well, stomped was probably more correct.

And before I could stop her, Rose socked Tasha right in the face.

And boy, was it some punch.

I stared in shock at her defiant face as she glared at Tasha, who was gripping her nose and screaming.

I didn't take any notice of her though. My attention was completely focussed on Rose.

She looked…I wasn't sure what the word was.

Yes, she still looked sick, and exhausted. But there was an energy in her; one I hadn't seen before. This was the only time I had ever seen her show much emotion.

"_You bitch!" _Tasha screamed and tried to hurl herself at Rose, who tensed, ready to fight.

I stepped swiftly into Tasha's path, so that she crashed into me.

"Tasha…_stop." _She glared up at me in anger but stopped struggling to get to Rose.

"You're gonna let her get away with that?" she asked me incredulously. I noticed that there was blood oozing out of her nostrils, and by the look of the shape of her nose, it very may have been broken.

"Of course not," I told her, deciding not to mention that Rose could do whatever the hell she wanted. "But I think you need to see a doctor."

I didn't wait for a reply and grabbed Rose's arm and pulled her out the apartment door with me. I led both her and Tasha down stairs.

"Where are we going, comrade?" Rose asked me, struggling to keep up. I had to remind myself to stay at a pace she could manage after everything she had gone through the past 24 hours.

"Yes, where are we going, _comrade?" _Tasha, not looking like she appreciated being trailed along. I was a lot less careful with her than I was being with Rose. Rose glared at her for copying the strange nickname she had picked up for me.

"To the hospital." I replied simply. Rose made a face, and mumbled something about Tasha deserving it.

I didn't agree, but I didn't disagree. The only reason I was bringing Tasha there was because I felt sort of responsible for what had happened.

Nobody said anything on the way over there, and an awkward silence engulfed the car.

That was until Rose reached over and turned on the radio. She began she sing along and just like that, I felt the muscles I didn't realise were so tense, relax.

We arrived at the hospital and Tasha jumped out of the car. She slammed the door and stormed off towards the entrance.

"Are you mad at me?" Rose asked suddenly.

I just looked at her.

"Mad at you? Why?"

"Cos I punched your girlfriend…"

"She's not my girlfriend," I told her.

"_She_ seems to think so," Rose mumbled, looking down at her hands in her lap. Without thinking about it, I reached forward with my hand and tilted her face upwards.

"She's not."

Rose eyes met mine and for once, they didn't glance away.

As I stared into her eyes, I realised just how beautiful her brown eyes were. I had been too distracted to notice them before.

Fortunately, the sound of someone clearing their throat brought me to my senses.

"Excuse me?"

I looked up at the kind face of a doctor who had spoken.

"Yes?"

"Is everything alright?" The doctor asked. I could see the concern in her eyes as they swilled to Rose, and then back to me again.

"Fine," Rose replied. She was almost glaring at the doctor.

"Could I talk to you for a moment?" I asked the doctor. She nodded and walked to the other side of the room.

"Will you be ok for a minute?" I asked Rose, who was looking at me questioningly. She gave a nod and began to study her fingernails.

"What can I help you with, sir?" The doctor asked me. If I wasn't mistaken, I could've sworn I saw apprehension in her eyes.

"I was just-" I stopped, trying to figure out to least complicated way to explain all of this. "What would you recommended someone to do if they were trying to get off drugs?"

The doctor's eyes widened slightly and she unconsciously took a step backwards. I realised that I sounded like _I _was the one on drugs and immediately corrected myself.

"No! No…you see that girl over there?" I pointed to where Rose was sitting and playing with her hands. The doctor nodded. "She's a friend of mine, and she's gone through a rough few weeks-"

"What do you mean a 'rough few weeks,'? She interrupted me, her tone almost challenging me.

"She, er, was in an abusive relationship, I managed to get her away from the guy, she's been addicted to drugs for years…"

All apprehension left the doctor's face as I explained.

"Oh!" She said, understanding lighting up her features. "I'm sorry – that explains everything. When I saw her, I knew those were no ordinary bruises on her skin…I knew they were made by a person and I thought maybe…" she gestured to me and I understood her.

"I would never hurt her," I told her. She smiled.

"Well, if I were you, the first thing I'd do would be to enrol her in the local rehabilitation program. We have the forms available here and I can ensure, its worked wonders on patients in the past."

"That sounds great…but the thing is, she hasn't exactly agreed to go off drugs."

"Oh," the doctor said. "If you want, I can work with her one on one for a couple of weeks and see if I can get her to come around?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a councillor," she explained. "I work with people who have addictions all the time. I don't actually work in this building but I like to drop by every now and again."

"That sounds really wonderful and all…" I told her, hating myself. "But I can't really afford a councillor."

"Don't worry about it! I'll do it, no charge." She smiled warmly at me.

"You would?" I asked her in surprise, shocked at her kindness.

"Of course, here's my card," She handed me a small white card with her name, number, and the address of her office on it.

"Thank you, Dr….Dragomir," I smiled at her, reading her name off her card.

"It's my pleasure…it's my job to help people."

Before either of us could say another word, a commotion broke out in the waiting room.

And I wasn't surprised who was in the middle of it.

Tasha had returned, with a broken nose, and was screaming and trying to hit Rose.

I was beside them in seconds, blocking Rose and pulling Tasha off of her.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked her, managing to restrain her.

"That _bitch _broke my nose!" she screamed, still struggling. "I'm going to need surgery to fix it!

"It's not like you're not used to a little plastic surgery," Rose grumbled and gestured to Tasha's chest-area.

This of course, infuriated Tasha and brought on another round of struggling and shouting. Thankfully, doctors had arrived and dragged Tasha away.

I turned to Rose.

"She started it this time, I swear!" Rose exclaimed.

"I know, Rose, I know," I told her and helped her to her feet. She was silent for a moment.

"Can we go home now?" she asked quietly. I gave her a tiny smile in return and nodded.

As we left the hospital, I patted my pocket to make sure the councillors card was still in there.

I pushed it deeper into my pocket to be sure I would not lose it.

God knows, Rose was going to need it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

A couple of days passed, and I had made no progress in getting Rose to talk to me.

I'd spent hours upon hours sitting on the couch while she slept, just twirling Dr Lissa Dragomir's card between my fingers.

I couldn't just ring her and organise an appointment without consulting Rose first, even if Rose really needed the help – which I was sure she did. After recent events, I was beginning to believe that I had only just scratched the surface of Rose's issues.

She'd spent most of her days sleeping; usually in my bed. I had now pretty much taken up residence on the couch.

It made me hate myself even more for not having the money to buy a good quality sofa.

What could I do? We could hardly go on living like this.

I thought of my family. What I really wanted to do was talk to my dear mother. What would she advise me to do if she were here?

I knew what she'd say. She'd say 'Do the right thing.'

And I wanted to. So badly. There was just the small matter of money…

I didn't have any.

How could I pay for counselling sessions for Rose, when I could barely pay my own rent every month?

Again, I thought of my mother. But the last thing I wanted to do was borrow money from her. She and my sisters had a hard enough time earning the money they needed to maintain a healthy living standard.

_What about Christian? _The thought suddenly entered my head.

Ah Christian. My old best friend. We had met in high school nearly eight years ago…but I hadn't seen him in at least two. He had went to medical school to become a surgeon, and probably would have graduated by now, I realised with a start. Had it really been that long?

I didn't want to call him up just to ask for money. Of course I would never do that…

But thinking of him now made me realise how much I missed him – how much I missed having a male company to share my troubles with.

I pushed myself up from the couch and smoothed out my wrinkled clothes. Checking the time, I saw that is was late afternoon.

I tiptoed quietly into my bedroom, not wanting to disturb Rose. I hadn't spoken to her, but I knew for fact that she hadn't slept much last night.

Looking at her now, she seemed to be in a deep slumber. I pulled a clean shirt out of my cupboard, and quickly changed before leaving a note for her, telling I was going out for a while and I'd be back soon.

I grabbed my keys and locked the apartment after me.

Outside, I hailed down a cab and gave him instructions to drive me to the library on the other side of town. It wasn't a massive, upscale place – just a small local building, filled with hundreds of old books. It was my heaven.

"Hey Dimitri," Carol said quietly to me. She was the sweet, sixty-or-so year old woman who ran the library. She was also the first person to talk to me when I moved here. "I haven't seen your handsome face around here in a while – everything alright?" She gave a warm smile, to which I found it impossible to not return.

"Fine," I replied nonchalantly. "Just been busy."

Carol stopped what she was doing and gave me a sly look.

"And by 'busy,' do you mean you have a girl in your life now?" Carol guessed, letting her glasses slide down her nose a little.

"I guess," I replied honestly, almost laughing at the idea of having a real love-life when my life was such a mess. "But probably not in the way you mean it."

Carol pushed her glasses back to her eyes and returned to her work. "You know Dimitri, sometimes the most precious things in life are right in front of us – it just takes us a while to see that."

I wasn't quite sure what she meant, and so I went straight to business.

"Carol," I asked. "Would you mind if I used one of the computers? I have some emails and such I need to return."

"Of course," she replied, always more than happy to help me in any way she could. She knew I struggled with unemployment and money problems, and always did her best to make sure I wouldn't end up in the street. I thanked her and made my way to the back left corner.

She left me to my work and I knuckled in.

For hours I stayed there, looking up information of the possible whereabouts of my old best friend, Christian.

I leaned back in my chair, sighing disappointedly when I came up empty-handed, when I realised that I hadn't checked the most obvious source.

Facebook.

I quickly searched until I found him.

I grinned when I realised he was still stupid enough to leave his profile unblocked and open to any member of the public to read.

Same old Christian.

I felt my hopes rise up when I read that he only worked about twenty minutes away from here, in a hospital east of this city.

Maybe my luck was turning…we would have to wait and see.

I shut down the computer and was shocked to see the time. I waved goodbye to Carol and thanked her again, before making to hurry out of the building.

"Wait, Dimitri!" Carol called, louder than she should have in a library, but there was nobody left in there. "I got some of those westerns you like so much in last week, if you'd like to take them with you?"

I grinned at her, and thanked her for her kindness. After taking the books, I almost ran out of the building.

I had never intended to leave Rose alone for so long. After some trouble, I managed to find a cab that was willing to take me to my side of town. It was too late to visit Christian now, but I would find the time in the next couple of days.

The man pulled up at my building and I threw some change at him.

I walked up the stairs to my small apartment, rubbing my eyes most of the way. I grimaced, realising that I was about to spend the night on that damn couch again.

I entered the apartment, which was exactly the way I had left it hours ago.

The first thing I did was check on Rose. Well I _would_ have.

If she was there.

I panicked when I saw the covers thrown back on the empty bed, the window open, and the note I had left her discarded on the floor.

Maybe I wouldn't be spending the night on the couch after all.


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back! I hope you guys are still around and sorry for being gone for so long! **

**I want to make you all aware, that although I am back writing fully again - the updates will still be pretty infrequent. I also have four/five stories on the go on fanfiction (advice: _never_ do this!) lol.**

**Anyway, enjoy chapter eight and I will get chapter 9 written and published as soon as I get a chance :) happy Summer!**

**Previously**

_I entered the apartment, which was exactly the way I had left it hours ago._

_The first thing I did was check on Rose. Well I __would__ have._

_If she was there._

_I panicked when I saw the covers thrown back on the empty bed, the window open, and the note I had left her discarded on the floor._

_Maybe I wouldn't be spending the night on the couch after all._

**Chapter 8**

"Rose!" I shouted out the open window, desperately hoping that this wasn't happening again. "Shit."

Before rushing back out of the apartment, I checked the sheets of the bed. They were cold.

_She'd been gone a while,_ I realised. It would be near to impossible to find her now.

I left anyway, doing a quick lap around the building in case she had decided to linger, all the while knowing in my head and heart that she was gone.

I groaned and kicked the nearest object; which happened to be a metal bin at the back of my building block. It flew a couple of metres away, causing rotting garbage to spew everywhere.

I reached into my pocket, quickly listing through the possible people I could call, when my hand clutched a small piece of cardboard. Confused, I pulled it out.

It was the card that the doctor had given me.

I took it as a stroke of luck – the only one I'd had in days, maybe even weeks.

I quickly dialled the number, not caring that it was late and she would probably only be home from a long day of work.

"_Hello?" _Her voice sounded from the other end. Even if she had been annoyed at someone calling so late, her voice gave nothing away.

"Dr Dragomir? It's Dimitri," I told her and quickly relayed this evening's events.

She was on her way before he had even finished. They quickly decided that she would search the north side of town, while he took the south. It wasn't much, but at least he wouldn't have to examine every inch of the entire town for her by himself.

The next hour and a half passed quickly, with me running into every pub or bar, and every other open building around. I was exhausted, I knew that, but my adrenaline was running so high that my body didn't seem to notice. I constantly checked my phone in case there was an update from Dr Dragomir, but no luck. Each time I saw the empty screen, I felt my heart drop even further until it felt as though it would be embedded in my stomach forever.

It was well after midnight when I decided to call it night and ring Lissa.

She agreed with my decision and walked with me back to his apartment.

"Are you ok?" she asked me, looking concerned as we reached the door of my apartment.

I really didn't know how to begin to explain to her how much of a failure I felt. I had told Rose and myself that I would look after her – and I had failed her yet again. Lissa looked as though she knew what was going on inside me.

We reached my door and I led her inside.

"Dimitri, it'll be okay," she told me. "We'll find her."

"And what if we don't?" I demanded, letting more emotion slip than I had meant to.

"Then we'll call the authorities in the morning." She replied calmly and made me sit down.

I ran my hands through my hair, wondering how I could I have let this happen again? She was vulnerable – completely messed up – and I left her on her own again.

"Here," Lissa's voice was gentle as she sat beside me and handed me a hot cup of coffee.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"Look," Lissa said. "Just try and get some rest and I'll come back in the morning, I promise." I numbly agreed and held the mug between my hands, warming my freezing hands in its heat. Lissa was silent for a moment.

"Here," she reached into her pocket and placed a small white tablet on my coffee table. "Sleeping tablet," she explained, seeing my questioning look. "Don't worry – it's perfectly safe to take. It'll just help you get 3-6 hours' sleep." She then said a quick goodbye and then left for home.

I sat there in silence for a couple more minutes, before abandoning my coffee and heading to my bedroom.

Rose's presence was strong in there; like she had lived there for years rather than weeks. I slipped my clothes off and climbed into the bed, hoping to be relaxed enough to get at least a couple of hours sleep before searching again tomorrow.

I should have known it wouldn't have been that easy.

It wasn't the constant sound of traffic and other city on-goings that kept me from falling into a slumber.

No. My mind was much louder than any truck or city could be.

_Where was she?_

_Who was she with?_

_Was she on her own? _

_Was she cold? Alive?_

I squeezed my eyes shut, desperately trying to stop my mind from thinking of worst possible scenarios.

She was fine. Of course she was fine.

I groaned loudly, the noise disturbing the previously silent room, and rolled over so that my head was buried in the pillow. I was going to drive myself crazy.

I remembered the small tablets Lissa had left me, and climbed out of the bed.

Taking one would hardly be bad? She said it was safe – and she was the professional. I picked it up and popped it into my mouth. I grabbed a glass of water and let the pill slide easily down my throat.

I then climbed back into bed and waited for it to kick in.

I wasn't even lying there ten minutes when my eyelids began to droop.

Before I knew it, I was out like a light.

Not too long later, I was startled awake by something. I sat up quickly, searching for the disturbance that had brought me out of my slumber.

I looked at the time and saw that it was only 3am.

Figuring I had imagined it, I slowly lay back down and pulled the covers up to my chin.

My eyes had just begun to close once again when I heard the sound of the front door shut gently, followed by soft footsteps.

Immediately, I reached for the baseball bat I left hidden under my bed. I crept to the bedroom door and pressed my ear up against it. The footsteps stopped.

The robber didn't know that I knew that he was there. It always helped in a fight when you had the element of surprise.

I flung the door open, at the same time raising my bat.

A high pitched scream alerted me to the fact that it wasn't a man in my living room.

I dropped my bat when I saw who it was.

"Rose," I said, my voice quiet with shock. Before I knew it, I had pulled her into my arms. I embraced her tightly before pulling back and checking her over, needing to make sure that she was okay.

She looked shocked at the sudden contact but didn't struggle.

"What's the matter?" she finally asked me, looking genuinely surprised.

"Wh-" I stuttered. "What do you mean 'What's the matter?' I was worried sick! I thought something had happened to you! I even had Lissa out looking for you-"

"Who's Lissa?" she asked me, her eyebrows furrowing.

"She's a counsellor," I answered. "I'll explain later," I said when Rose's eyebrows raised. "You're okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Rose insisted, letting the counsellor thing slide. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Rose, you took off without letting me know. What was I supposed to think?"

"Dimitri, I'm not a child. I'm an adult. And I'm not in solitary confinement; I'm allowed leave whenever I want."

I took a breath and let her words sink in.

"I know that, I do," I told her. "Where were you?"

"I was at work, okay!" Rose said defensively, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I'm not completely incapable!"

"I know you're not, Rose," I assured her, stunned at the possibility that she had a job. "But next time you decide to leave, could you at least leave me a note or something?"

Rose suddenly went silent, her head facing her shoes.

"I don't think I can do that," she replied quietly.

"Rose," I pleaded. "Please don't be difficult. I'm not asking for much – I just want to make sure you're safe."

"Why should I tell you where I'm going at all times when I don't get to know where you are?" she exclaimed suddenly, anger in her eyes. "Where were _you _today, mister?"

"I- I left you a note!" I told her. "I left it on the bedside table."

The anger faded from her eyes.

"Oh."

I felt my own anger melt. It was quickly replaced with concern when Rose stared down at her feet.

"Rose," I said tentatively, hesitantly moving a little closer to her. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, Dimitri," she said, her voice rising. She lifted her head and I was shocked to see tears forming in her eyes.

"Rose." I was right in front of her, trying to stop her from running away into the bedroom. Her eyes made another glance in that direction before she sighed in defeat. Her eyes shot back down to her shoes.

"I can't…." the rest of the sentence was mumbled under her breath, making it impossible for me to hear.

"You can't what, Rose?" I asked her, reaching forward to tilt her head back up.

"I can't read!" She shouted and slapped my hand away. "Okay! Or write! I can't read or write. Not probably anyway." Her voice dropped in pitch once again as the tears spilled over. "I've never been able to – I'm an idiot."

The shock that had chorused through me when she told me faded and I unfroze.

"Oh, Roza," my voice was quiet when I spoke. I tilted her chin up so that she was looking me in the eyes. "You're not an idiot. I'm sorry – I had no idea."

"Nobody knows," she whispered. "Nobody cares."

"I care," I told her, even surprising myself with the firmness in my voice. But it was true. I did care. "Why didn't you ever tell anyone?"

"Like I needed to give everyone another reason to judge me," she said, her eyes dark with memories that were obviously swarming her. "Everyone already hated me."

I didn't ask her what those 'other reasons' were. I was pretty sure she wouldn't tell me anyway.

But she could talk to someone else.

"Rose," I started carefully. She looked up at the change in my tone. "How would you feel about seeing a friend of mine and talking to her about all this? She's a therapist and would keep anything you wanted to talk about completely confidential."

Rose just stared at me.

"You want me to see a therapist?" she repeated, her face not giving away anything. "You think I'm crazy?"

"No," I said quickly. "Of course I don't. I just think you've been through a lot – a lot more than I could probably ever understand. And Lissa's understanding, and kind. She only wants to help you."

Rose sat in silence for a little while, and I did too, letting the prospect of seeing Lissa sink in.

We sat there for so long that I started to believe that it was a lost cause.

I began to stand so I could get myself washed when she spoke. Her voice was so quiet that I wasn't even sure that I had heard it.

"Okay."


	9. Chapter 9

**So we reached over 100 reviews :D You guys are amazing, and it means the world to me that I have so many of you following this story and my other stories too :) Hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

**Chapter 9**

"So Rose, why don't you start by telling me a little bit about yourself?" Lissa suggested and I mentally face palmed. She sounded exactly like I thought she would – genuine and caring.

I hated that.

"Eh," I struggled to find something to talk about. "I'm twenty-one. I- I guess I live with Dimitri now for the time being-"

"And why are you living with Dimitri?" she cut me off.

"Excuse me?" I knew exactly what she was trying to do. She was trying to get me to admit that my life was pretty dang awful at the moment. Bitch.

"What's your reasoning for living with Dimitri?" she repeated, her expression still one of concern and care.

"I- I don't really have any reasoning, he kidnapped me."

Lissa cracked a smile, but when on with her inquisition. "But you don't _have _to stay there. I mean, you're an adult – you can do what you want?"

I was silent for a moment before deciding that it would probably be easier to actually co-operate with her. Plus, I _had _promised Dimitri I would come here.

"He- He takes care of me," I told her honestly, playing with the thread coming loose from my sleeve, not feeling like I could look her in the eyes.

"And why do you think he takes care of you?"

"Well, I don't know, do I?" I responded, looking up at her. She immediately started scribbling down on her posh clipboard. "Hey, stop writing about me, will you? I have enough people judging me."

"I'm not judging you, Rose," she told me, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. "This is a place where you can be yourself and talk about anything you want without fear of being judged – that's the point of this."

I groaned and sank back further into the couch, wishing I could sink right through it and disappear.

"Let's start again, shall we?" Lissa continued, not waiting for me to reply. "Did you grow up here in the city?"

"Yes."

"Yes? And who did you live with?" she asked me, leaning forward and looking interested, as if we were discussing last night's news.

"My parents," I replied again shortly, trying to ignore the caring look in her eyes. It made it so much harder to be mean to her.

"And what were your parents like?" she asked me the question I had been dreading.

"They were like any other parents," I lied, making a little too quickly. Lissa looked at me sceptically.

"If that were so than why are you trying to rip a chunk out of my couch?" I looked down and realised that as soon as she had brought _them _up, my entire body had tensed, and my fist had clench around the comforting material covering the couch.

"Okay, so they weren't exactly like everybody else's parents," I admitted. "But I don't want to talk about them."

"And why's that?"

"Because they were horrible!" My voice rose quickly and I struggled to get a hold of myself. "Can I have a cigarette?" I asked her, my finger's itching towards my jacket pocket.

"You can do what you want now," she told me, glancing up at the clock. "Our time's up."

"Already?" I asked shocked. Sure enough, when I glanced at the time I saw that an hour had passed.

"Yup," Lissa replied. "I think we made good progress today. I'd like to start up next week by talking about your parents again, okay?"

"Okay," I grumbled, not liking the idea of next week's session. _That _was going to be fun.

Giving her a reluctant thanks, I pulled on my jacket and let myself out. I had a cigarette out and almost lit by the time I was walking out the front door.

I felt relieved that the first session was over – I had been dreading it since Dimitri had made the appointment. He had told me about Lissa…and she was _every _bit as nice as he had described her to be.

But I also felt _awful._

Since I could remember, I had never looked back nor dwelled on the past. It was the only thing I could do to keep sane, otherwise I would've lost it completely with the amount of regretful things I had done.

Being with Lissa made me look back on _all _ of them…and not just that, but she wanted me to talk about them and express _why _I thought I'd done this and _how _I'd felt while doing it.

It made me sick.

The sound of a car door slamming made me jump. It took me a second to realise that Dimitri had been parked outside the building.

"How'd it go?" he asked, sitting down on the bench beside me. I could see him looking disapprovingly at the cigarette in my hand but he didn't say anything, which I was thankful for.

"Fine," I replied simply, taking another drag. He looked unappreciatively at the smoke I blew out into the environment.

"I'd offer you one but I can tell from you repulsed expression what your answer would be."

Dimitri stopped frowning. It was almost as if he hadn't realised he'd been looking so disapprovingly.

He didn't give an answer to my previous comment. "How'd you like Lissa?" he asked instead, turning his head to look at me.

I scrunched up my nose.

"You didn't like her?" he asked surprised. "Huh…I really thought you two would get along well."

"No, she was really nice – that was the problem. She was _too _nice. I've never known 'nice'…I don't know how to deal with 'nice.'"

Dimitri didn't have a reply for that either.

"Did you just arrive?" I asked, nodding my head at his slightly banged-up car.

"Nah, I waited in the car."

"Wh- The whole time? I was in there for like, an hour?!" I exclaimed, looking at him like he was an idiot.

He looked forward again and a smile appeared on his lips.

"I wanted to make sure I was here when you came out," he replied. "And I wasn't just sitting there doing nothing…I brought a book with me."

"A book? Like…to read?"

"Yes, Rose," he laughed. "That's generally what one would do with a book."

"Not me," I told him and he immediately sobered up, probably recalling my confession about not being able to read. "Me? I've always preferred to throw books rather than read them. They actually make good weapons believe it or not."

Dimitri started laughing and it surprised me how much I liked the sound of it. It had been a long time since I'd heard _anybody _laugh.

"Really?" he asked me, still smiling.

"Really."

His laughter died out completely and we sat there in a fairly comfortable silence.

I had been living with Dimitri for a couple of weeks now…and I guess you could say that I was beginning to get used to his presence. But I didn't exactly 'trust' him yet…

I mean, who knew what kind of agenda he might have?

Although, night after night I waited for him to drift off to sleep before I did, just in case he was going to sneak up on me in my most vulnerable state.

He never did though.

He slept on the couch - giving me the space I had craved for so long, he made me breakfast – with recipes he had learned from his own mother, he looked for me when I went 'missing' and he was the one who had suggested and organised a meeting with Lissa the councillor to help me get better.

He was everything that Adrian _wasn't, _I realised.

"Come on," Dimitri said suddenly, grabbing my hand and pulling me to my feet. A sudden rush of memories slammed into me – ones where Adrian had grabbed my hand or arm and yanked me to his bedroom or to some stranger's bedroom – all for a little bit of cash, of course.

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded, even I could hear the panic in my voice. Dimitri froze and seemed to realise that he had unintentionally alarmed me.

"Rose," he said softly, realising his grip. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just thought we could take a little walk and well, talk."

"Talk?" I repeated, the word sounding very foreign on my lips.

"Yes, just talk. I promise." He rested his hand on his chest, over his heart, to be exact. "I'm not like Adrian or any of the other guys you've known. I will never take advantage of you, Roza."

I stared into his unflinching eyes for several moments before realising that everything he had said and done so far had been in complete honesty. This would be the ultimate test, right? A walk, in the middle of nowhere, with no one around. He could literally do anything and no one would know.

"Rose?"

I blinked and refocused on his soft eyes…and I saw nothing but concern in them. I gave a little nod and continued stepping towards the path he had been previously leading me down.

We strolled in silence as we both studied our surroundings. The perfectly laid down path began to wear until it disappeared, but there was still a noticeable trail leading further on until we reached a small patch of woodland. It was incredibly surprising to me that, here, in the city, there was a beautiful little forest.

"We should probably stick to the path, Rose," Dimitri commented as I had been gently making my way towards the trees.

"Can we just go in a little bit? Please?" I begged, turning to face him.

**DPOV**

I was frozen as I stared at her expression. Her usually depressed, lifeless expression was…bubbly - her eyes full of excitement and mischief. I sighed, completely at her mercy. How could I deny her something that brought out that kind of reaction?

She seemed to know my sigh was me granting my 'permission,' as such, and skipped back towards the trees.

"Rose, wait for me!" I called after her as she disappeared from sight. She didn't answer but I could hear her moving around somewhere close by.

"Rose-"

"Ssh!" She slammed a hand over my mouth and gestured to the thick branches above us. "Can you hear that?" she whispered.

"Hear what?" I questioned, my voice mimicking her hushed tone.

"The owl. Listen," she instructed and glanced upwards. I couldn't help but notice the way her long eyelashes cast shadows over her cheeks in the sunset.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she whispered, still looking up in awe.

"Yeah," I realised. "Absolutely beautiful."


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm such an eejit! I completely forgot I had previously uploaded chapter 9, and so I uploaded it twice. Thank you to those who made me aware. The second one has been removed and here is **_**the real**_** chapter 10 :)**

**Chapter 10**

"So you like nature, then?" I questioned with a smile as we wandered out of the wood. After realising just how dark it was becoming, I almost had to force her out of the woodland.

"Yeah," she admitted, pulling various leaves off of plants on the walk back to my car and ripping them up. "There used to be a forest a couple of miles from my house when I was younger…I used to play in them every day. It was just so _quiet,_ you know?" She sighed, looking forward lost in memories.

"A couple of _miles_?" I repeated. "You went there every day?"

"Without fail," she grinned. "I grew up in the heart of the city – and not the good part either. Peace and quiet was all I ever wanted, even when I was a child. I used to fantasy and pretend that I lived in a pretty white house in the suburbs, with these gorgeous big apple trees surrounding that land, and behind the house, there would be a forest that was unending. It was my escape."

"That'sweet," I watched her with interest as she was reminiscing about her childhood dreams. The realisation I had come to back in the forest had hit me like a truck. I wondered why it had never occurred to me just how beautiful she really was. "Did you tell Lissa any of this stuff?"

"No," she replied, her expression turning sour. "But I have a feeling it might come up next week."

I thought it would be best if I didn't laugh at her pouty expression.

"So," I said, pulling her from her memoirs and changing the subject to hopefully make her smile again. "What other things do you like, besides nature and forests?"

She was silent for so long, that I wasn't sure that she would answer at all. However, as we reached the car, she did.

"I like baking."

"Baking?" I repeated in surprise. "Really?"

"And decorating," she added. "

You seem very surprised," she commented, studying my face. "A lot of people are. They don't expect the messed up drug-addicted, alcoholic child to like something as simple as baking."

"I don't think you're a messed up drug addict," I replied, maybe a little harshly. "Nor are you a child. You just got lost in life. A lot of people do. But we also help each find our way back."

She looked at me and gave a small grateful smile.

"You really think I can get my life on track again?" she questioned, her eyes not daring to hope.

"I _know _you can. I find that positive energy and thoughts go a long way to help you when you feel like you have nothing. And I'll be right here to help you."

She gave me another small smile in return and climbed into the passenger side of the old car.

RPOV

"So what about you?" I asked when we were a couple of minutes away from home. "What are your secret talents and passions?" I joked, making Dimitri smile along with me.

"I'm an actor, you know?" he told me, giving me a glance before returning his eyes to the road stretched out in front of us.

"Seriously?" I exclaimed. "How come I didn't know this before now?"

"You never asked," he replied. I suddenly felt bad. Dimitri had taken me in – a stranger – and looked out for me the way nobody else ever had in my life.

"I'm sorry," I told him quietly. "I guess I've just been caught up in my own bubble. I do that sometimes."

"Don't worry," he told me, reaching over and giving my hand a quick but reassuring squeeze. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that neither of us really know one another – properly, that is."

"You're right." The whole idea of him 'getting to know me' was frankly, quite terrifying…but there was also something intriguing and exciting about the fact that he _wanted _to. And vice versa.

"So then, Dimitri Belikov," I started, feeling more alive today than I had in years. "You're an actor. Would I know you from anything?"

"Probably not," his forehead creased and his eyes darkened ever so slightly at that. "I've never really done any big jobs – just little advertisements and stuff over the years…I'm kind of waiting for my 'big break' as such," he added, looking depressed. "_If _that will happen."

"What happened to all that 'positive energy' crap you were spurting a second ago?"

He almost cracked a smile.

"Ah," A smile _did_ grace his face, but it was neither a happy, nor a humorous smile. "Well, positive thoughts can only help me so much. I've been waiting for years for something major to happen."

Having no answer, I turned my face to the side to see where we were. To my surprise, we were already back at his apartment block.

"What the?" I glanced at Dimitri to see that he was squinting towards a cute, black car parked near the front door.

"What?" I asked, climbing out of the car after him. "Dimitri, what is it?"

"That's my sister's car."

I struggled to keep up with him as he hurried into the building. Dimitri froze upon arriving at his floor.

There, on the ground outside his apartment door, was a young girl.

She looked to be in her mid-twenties…maybe a little older. And she was pretty. Very pretty. Tall with dark chocolate brown eyes that resembled Dimitri's and a naturally tanned tone of skin.

It wasn't difficult to tell that she was a Belikov.

"Dimitri." She girl pushed herself up off of the floor and ran towards him, flinging herself into his arms.

"Sonya," he replied. I could hear the shock upon seeing her in his voice, but he held her to him all the same. I got the impression that they hadn't seen each other in quite a while. "What are you doing here?"

Sonya took a step back but didn't let go of him. It was only then that I saw she was crying...no. Sobbing was more correct.

"What's the matter?" Dimitri demanded, and it was clear to me that he had kicked into 'protective brother' mode. Sonya was incapable of answering due to the sobs that wracked through her.

"Let's go inside and sit down, okay?" She gave a short nod in reply and I grabbed the keys from Dimitri's hand so that he could support his sister. He gave me a grateful look as I held the door open for them both.

Sonya Belikov curled up on the couch beside her brother, sobbing into his neck.

Although I was dead curious, I let Dimitri handle it completely. She was his family, after all.

He just sat down and held her in a comforting manner as she cried. He never once pushed for more answers. He was doing exactly what family did. He was protecting her.

I felt useless and out of place – _really _out of place – and so I went to the kitchen to see what I could do to help – which wasn't a lot.

But I did my best. I attempted to make a hot cup of tea, because that was what I had heard calmed people down – hopefully the cup I had made was drinkable and didn't taste like sewage. I walked back into the living room and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she sniffled and then did a double-take. "Who _are _you?" Not giving me a chance to answer, she turned to Dimitri. "Where's Tasha?"

I glanced at Dimitri to witness his reaction, remembering the bitch he had used to date. He looked down, but didn't look to upset or grief stricken that Tasha was no longer around.

"Eh," he rubbed the back of his neck a little nervously, refusing to meet his sister's gaze. It was quite adorable.

"Tasha and I broke up."

A moment of absolute silence rang out as Sonya took in the news.

"Are you kidding me?" she said eventually. He shook his head in answer. "Thank the lord! At least _that's _some good news."

"Wh- Wait, you're happy?" he looked shocked again. "Why?"

"We always hated Tasha."

"You hated her?" he repeated, surprise filling his features.

"Well, maybe '_hated'_ is too strong a word," she said thoughtfully. "'Strongly dislike' is more fitting, I think."

"Woah…" Dimitri looked genuinely surprised, but again, not upset at this news. "All of you? Even Mama?"

"Well, yeah, kinda…Although she always said differently. We all knew that Tasha was wrong for you."

"How? And why didn't any of you say anything?" he demanded.

"Just women's intuition," she replied simply. "And how could we say anything to you? You would've just gotten mad and stopped talking to us."

Dimitri didn't say anything. He seemed truly stunned that the women in his family had not approved of Tasha.

_They must be smart women, _I thought, although I wasn't entirely surprised. After only knowing Dimitri a couple of weeks, I could tell he was a clever cookie. But then again, he did go out with Tasha in the first place, so he was obviously just as clueless as every other male on the planet.

I silently studied the two siblings as they sat submerged in their own thoughts.

"What about papa?" Dimitri asked her suddenly. "What did _he _think of Tasha?"

But Sonya didn't answer. Not with words anyway: just tears.

"Sonya, what the hell is going on?" Dimitri demanded, his self-control finally snapping as he slipped into his 'family protecting' mode.

"Dimitri, I'm sorry!" Sonya sobbed. "But I just didn't want you to find out over the phone…You deserve to be told in person."

"Son, you're starting to scare me…"

"It's Papa. He's sick. They brought him to hospital this morning."

And just like that, the good day that Dimitri and I had shared together, came crashing down to pieces around us.


	11. Chapter 11

**It's a short chapter, I know – but it's all I had time for. Hopefully it will be better than the last one – not many of you gave feedback but that's okay – I'm doing my best here :)**

**FantasyAddict24 – I was actually going to use Viktoria, but she's always the sister that people use, so I went with Sonya, who doesn't get much attention. Plus, I like her – she's the middle girl in her family, and I'm the middle in mine. I relate to her, lol :P**

**Thanks also to Kitty, BadassSyd, Miss-Truffle, petiteTRINH, Mrs Belikova, ****ClauIloveDimitriBelikov and RozaRocks for reviewing :)**

**Chapter 11**

Dimitri didn't stay still for long. He was on his feet in seconds and ready to go to his family within moments. Sonya was trying furiously to wipe the tears off of her face and calm him down but it was to no avail.

Dimitri's family was in trouble, and he wasn't going to stop until he was struggling right along beside them.

I fell back into the shadows of the room, unsure of what to do. I _wanted _to look after him – or at least to make sure he would be okay when he went to see his father…but he had his sister for that. What could I do – a girl who had only known him for barely two months, over his sister – who had known him at least twenty four years?

I stood watching silently as Sonya grabbed her coat and Dimitri seized his car keys. Both of them rushed out the door, making it slam behind them. And then…

Silence.

It rang out louder than any cry or scream could. And it was selfish and wrong of me, but I felt strangely alone and abandoned. Dimitri had never forgotten about me like my parents had. He had never ignored or hurt me like Adrian had.

_Stop it, Rose! _I scolded myself. It wasn't fair to push my problems onto Dimitri now – not when his own family was distraught and in need. His _real _family. I was merely an acquaintance – a stranger he had taken in off of the streets. He had _not _abandoned or forgotten me…I just didn't cross his mind when he was going through some of his own difficulties.

I sat by the window, pulling out a cigarette. I craved something _much _stronger but alas, I had run out and there was no way the Russian jailor would let me out to get more.

Before I could take a drag and settle myself by the window comfortably, the door swung open once again.

Dimitri stood there looking at me with his eyebrows raised. He looked out of breath and looked as though he was panicking inside.

"Rose? Are you coming?" I looked at him in surprise. He had come back for me.

"I don't know…this probably isn't something I should-"

"I need you. Please."

Those three words. Those were three words that had never been said to me before, never mind the pleading tone Dimitri had used.

I reflected on everything he had done for me so far and decided that I could be there for him when he needed me.

And so I quickly stamped out my untouched cigarette and took his hand. We hurried down to his car where Sonya was sitting in the passenger seat trying desperately to fix her makeup.

"Are you okay to drive?" I asked Dimitri. He nodded a 'yes' but I couldn't help but take a glance at his shaking hands.

"Really, Rose, I'm okay."

Figuring it would be a lot easier to let him do as he pleased; I climbed into the back and let him drive.

The hospital that Dimitri's father had been admitted to was a couple of hours away from where Dimitri lived. I had learned while travelling there that Dimitri had moved to the city a couple of years ago, making the difficult decision to leave behind his parents and sisters to pursue his career. Unfortunately, it hadn't taken off the way he had hoped, which meant he'd hadn't been able to come home for quite a while.

It was raining when Dimitri pulled up into the parking lot. Sonya jumped straight out of the car and started making her way to the entrance, only stopping to beckon Dimitri and I inside.

"Are you okay?" I asked him once again as we walked towards the door. He gave a brisk nod and I decided to not push him. Making him admit that he was in fact, _not _okay, would only make things worse for him. I let him believe that he could hide his true feelings from me as long as he wanted to.

The elevator ride to the third floor, where Dimitri's father was being treated, was eerily silent. It was pointless for me to try and imagine what it was like for him to having his father ill. My father and I had never been close – nor had my mother and I for that matter – so it was a foreign situation. I chanced a sneaky glance at Dimitri's face and was surprised to see the worry and hurt had vanished from his features…

And it suddenly hit me what he was doing. Dimitri was putting on his mask – his poker face – to try and protect his family. I knew from talking to him that he was the only other male in the family and so Dimitri was being strong for his mother and for his sisters.

Despite his serious façade, I could still see the pain in his eyes, as well as the unease.

I looked away quickly as the doors of the elevator opened with a _ding!_

"This way," Sonya informed us, her voice shaking and led us down the long corridor on the left.

The further on we walked, I felt my throat start to constrict. The long passage was making me feel dizzy but I tried to push it away. It wasn't so bad if I didn't think about it.

Too soon, we arrived at the room that Dimitri's father was residing in. I paused outside and gave Dimitri a small supporting smile, trying to convey to him that everything would be alright. He gave my fingers a little squeeze and the two siblings entered, leaving me outside.

This was something that I knew for certain that I should not intrude on, even if Dimitri didn't mind. It was just as well because my claustrophobia seemed to get ten times worse and a strong pressure pressed down on my lungs and chest, making it hard to breathe. My head began to spin and all I could focus on was the resilient scent of hospital clouding my nostrils and mind, making everything fuzzy.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" A voice barely registered with me as I clutched my throat. I felt tears began to cascade down my cheeks as my vision slowly began to fade. Memories of the last time I had been in a hospital washed through my mind like a river breaking its banks, images swarming my every thought and feeling, drowning me in fear and pain.

And then, there was nothing.

The images drained away, forcing me into darkness.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Previously...**_

This was something that I knew for certain that I should not intrude on, even if Dimitri didn't mind. It was just as well because my claustrophobia seemed to get ten times worse and a strong pressure pressed down on my lungs and chest, making it hard to breathe. My head began to spin and all I could focus on was the resilient scent of hospital clouding my nostrils and mind, making everything fuzzy.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" A voice barely registered with me as I clutched my throat. I felt tears began to cascade down my cheeks as my vision slowly began to fade. Memories of the last time I had been in a hospital washed through my mind like a river breaking its banks, images swarming my every thought and feeling, drowning me in fear and pain.

And then, there was nothing.

The images drained away, forcing me into darkness.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

What felt like only seconds later, my eyes reopened and I blinked heavily to try and clear the fuzziness away from my vision.

"Ma'am," a voice said, sounding like it was getting nearer as my vision came into focus. "Ma'am can you hear me?"

As my whereabouts finally stopped spinning and settled into place, I remembered where I was.

"What happened?" I asked no one in particular. It seemed like the appropriate question to ask.

"You collapsed," One of the nurses aided a kind-looking doctor in helping me into a nearby wheelchair. "How do you feel?"

"Dizzy," I whispered, the details of _why_ I had collapsed coming back to me.

"What's your name, miss?" He kneeled down in front of me and placed a comforting hand on my arm.

"Rose," I replied, too distracted and lost in my memories to shrug away from his touch. I may have come quiet a long way since meeting Dimitri, but that by no means meant that I was comfortable around just any guy, doctor or not.

"Okay, Rose, I want you to take deep breaths with me ok?" Seeing the tension of my muscles he removed his hand from mine and placed it on the arm of the chair instead.

I nodded in agreement and copied what he was doing – inhaling and exhaling slowly and deeply. After a couple of minutes, he walked behind the chair and began to wheel it.

"Where are we going?" I asked him worriedly, clenching my eyes shut so that I didn't have to see the hospital beds, the gowns – any of it.

"I want to get you checked out," he replied. "You hit the deck pretty hard. Plus, I want to find out _why_ you collapsed." I didn't bother arguing. There didn't seem a point.

"Who are you?" I asked him once I'd gotten my breath back and he was wheeling me into a private room.

"Dr Ozera," he introduced himself, giving me a small smile. "I own a small clinic about an hour away, but I work here in the hospital two days a week."

_Ozera…_

I knew that name. My brows furrowed as I tried to think from where.

"Is everything ok?" he asked, obviously noticing the change in my expression.

"Yeah, I, eh-" I suddenly where I knew the name from. Dimitri had mentioned him as his old best friend from high school a couple of times.

"Christian?" I guessed, watching his reaction carefully. His own eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Yeah. You know me?"

"Yeah," I answered but then corrected myself. "Well, _I_ don't know you; I've never even met you…but I think you were friends with my…" What was Dimitri to me? "…friend." I thought 'friend' was probably a good enough word in this case.

"Who's your friend?" he asked me curiously, sitting up a little and leaning back.

"Dimitri Belikov." Christian's eyes went wide with shock.

"Dimitri?" He stood up now, his eyes completely lost in memories of himself and his childhood friend. "My god…I haven't seen him in years…how's he doing?"

"You should ask him yourself," I replied, smiling a little. It was nice meeting one of Dimitri's friends, even if it was one he hadn't spoken to in years. "He's here."

"'Here' in town or 'here' in the hospital?"

"'Here' in the hospital. He's father is not well."

"Alexei's not well?" Christian looked saddened by this piece of news. "Poor guy. He used to suffer with heart problems when Dimitri and I were younger. It's such a pity – from what I remember of him, he was always so nice. He used to take Dimitri and I fishing in the right season."

The frown returned onto my face. I really didn't like the way Christian was speaking about him in the past tense.

"He's not dead," I argued. I couldn't help but feel upset on Dimitri's account – he would be devastated if anything happened to any one member of his family.

"With a heart like that," Christian replied, looking at the thick door where Alexei Belikov was lying. "It's only a matter of time."

* * *

**DPOV**

I tried to maintain the calm mask I had obtained as I entered my father's private room. But it was hard.

He lay there; pale as I'd ever seen a person before – a living person that was. His eyes were fluttering ever so slightly as my mother held his hand tightly. She looked up when I entered with Sonya…and immediately burst into tears.

"Dimitri," she held me tightly and I wrapped my arms around her small frame comfortingly – the whole time I was unable to keep my eyes off of my father. He wasn't unconscious as I had expected him to be, but he also didn't seem to be completely conscious.

My mother leaned away from our embrace and gently placed her hands on either side of my face, tears swimming in her eyes.

"I think this is it, Dimitri." She gave my cheek a little pat. "You should say your goodbye."

I gave her hand a small kiss and then moved so that I was sitting by my father's bedside. His heartbeat was weak and uneven according to the monitor on the opposite side of the bed. I clasped my father's hand tightly and whispered to him in Russian.

"_It's ok, Papa."_

He replied by squeezing my hand with surprising strength.

"_Dimitri…I'm glad you're here. I'm sorry that I'm not going to be around to watch you live your life."_

"_You'll always be with me, pap," _I replied, not being able to keep the tears from spilling over.

"_Always…" _he trailed off weakly and I felt like getting sick.

"_Dimitri,"_ he whispered faintly. _"Look after them…I need you to look after them for me."_

"_Of course, of course I will."_

My father's body shook slightly and his head tilted back as he tried to draw in enough air. My stomach dropped right to the floor as I heard a deep rasping noise coming from the back of his throat.

I held my mother's hand, as well as one of my sister's as we sat around my father in his final minute.

None of us moved when the irregular beeping from the heart monitor was replaced by a single, monotonous noise.

"Papa…" Viktoria's grief-stricken whisper was what snapped me to attention.

_Look after them…_

I signalled for her to come to me, and when she did I pulled her into my lap.

"Ssh…" The anguish in her sobs was clear as she buried her face into my neck. My mother followed suit and wrapped her arms around Karolina and Sonya, who were also crying.

We stayed there for a long time after that – just watching our loved one as he paled even more by the second. My mother immediately started pulling up the covers and tucking them tightly around him, as if to keep him warm.

She then started fussing over all of us, asking if we were hungry, as she would pop down to the cafeteria to get something. I knew what she was doing. She was protecting us. Protecting us, and distracting herself all at once.

"Mama…" Vika got up from my lap to hug our sisters and I pulled my mother into my arms – where she truly broke down.

"I'm sorry," she cried, furiously wiping at her tears. "I don't know why this is such a shock – I mean, I_ knew_ this day was going to come…I just didn't think it would be so soon."

"You can never really prepare for something like this," I reminded her. "No matter how much time you get to process it."

She gave me a watery smile.

"My boy…" Giving my cheek another pat, she moved to start rearranging the flowers on my father's bedside. With one last look at my family to make sure they were ok, I eased myself out of the door to let Rose know.

However, the corridor was empty. And Rose was gone.

"Rose?" I spoke, not too loudly in case I woke someone ill. "Rose?"

There was no answer, and so I walked in the direction of the bathroom in case she had decided to freshen up.

I didn't need to go that far however. I found her in an examination room…along with none other, than Christian Ozera.

* * *

**Hey guys, I know I'm not updating very often and I'm sorry. But I'm so overwhelmed with the amount of different stories I'm writing! If anyone has any advice to make it easier than please give me a PM or comment or something!**

**In other news, who else in completely psyched for the Dimitri POV that Richelle Mead is going to post within the next couple of days - as well as the first chapter of The Fiery Heart! xD**

**Thank you for the support, those of you who are still reading and reviewing :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello my dearies! Firstly, thank you to anyone who gave me updating advice – I haven't gotten a chance to answer any reviews just yet! I'm just home from work again and worked really hard on this chapter to get it up before I went to bed! **

**Also thank you to anyone who notified me to tell me the Dimitri POV was up xD (amazing wasn't it :P) as well as the first chapter of The Fiery Heart (also amazing!). **

**Anyway, R&R please you guys! Night night! :) May Adrian visit you in your dreams tonight :)**

**Chapter 13**

"Chris?" Dimitri suddenly appeared at the doorway just as Christian a thick band on my arm to check my blood pressure.

"Dimitri!" Christian stood up and I watched in amusement as they did that half hug-pat on the back thing that guys greeted each other with.

"How've you been?" I zoned out as they did a quick catch-up on what each other had been up to and I focused on watching Dimitri. Just watching him was mesmerising; I didn't know how I could ever have thought he would hurt me or take advantage of me. I had known him a couple of months now and even I had to admit that I really had never felt safer with anybody else in my life.

It was probably wrong, but somehow, he had become my one, indestructible rock in the crumbling mess that was my life. I'd grown accustomed to being around him all the time – which was both a blessing and a pain.

It was a pain because let's face it, after about seven years of being on drugs, I was pretty damn addicted. And Dimitri _despised _the stuff. He wouldn't even tolerate talk about, never mind any drugs –other than medical, of course – in the apartment.

…little did he know that I had my own secret stash taped to the underside of his couch - but I wasn't stupid enough to go flaunting that piece of information around.

It was also a pain because of, well, my _'job'_ as such. Dimitri was aware that I worked evening shifts somewhere in town, but I would always refuse to tell him where – knowing that he would get angry and judgmental…_that,_ and a part of me was ashamed of what I did for a living.

But stripping wasn't nearly as awful as the public made it out to be. Okay, maybe sometimes it could be…but most of the time it was nice to hang out with other women in the same boat as me. None of us worked at the strip club because we enjoyed it – but sometimes a girl has got to do what a girl's gotta do for the cash.

Which brings me to my next problem, which comes in the form of Adrian Ivashkov.

My heart leapt in fear and excitement at the same time at the mere thought of him – more so the former. It hadn't also been that way, no. It had actually been the opposite. But in the seven years I had known him, he had changed – a lot. The excitement I felt now was nothing to do with Adrian and our old adventures together – I was just the kind of person who craved action and adrenaline – whether it was good or bad.

And Adrian was a person who could most definitely give me some adrenaline; he would put my life at risk over and over again to get all the cash and drugs he wanted…and i had lapped it up, because it had meant that he needed me.

It was Adrian who introduced me to drugs when I was fifteen years old, and he had been dealing it to me ever since…

When we broke up, he didn't seem to care too much, which destroyed me. I had also felt as though I _needed _him. I needed him to survive and get through our difficult life together. A part of me always hoped that we'd finally break free from it all and run away together and live happily ever after…away from the drinking, the drugs, the men and the partying.

How stupid I was. It was the fantasy of a love-stricken teenage girl, craving the attention that her cold-hearted parents had never given her, and the love of an older man who had taken an interest in her at a young, influential age.

I flinched inwardly as a powerful wave of memories washed over me, making me feel physically ill.

What Adrian cared more about now was the money I owed him – the money he and I both knew that I didn't have. I began working overtime at the club. I was under so much stress that I used up my entire fix without realising it.

And so I found a new dealer – one that didn't know about my payment problems. I managed to scrape up enough cash to keep him off my tail, but I'd let my debt to Adrian grow too much to keep it under control.

And now he was after me. I was sure of it. Expressing my fears to Dimitri, he'd told me not to worry and that if we hadn't heard from Adrian at this stage, then that was a good sign.

But I didn't believe. And Dimitri was a smart man, so I knew he didn't either.

"Rose?"

I blinked and jumped when Dimitri's face appeared right in front of mine. He was looking at me in concern, his fingers pressing lightly in different parts of my head, looking for bumps or sore spots apparently.

"Yeah?" I asked, trying to move his hands away but my efforts were futile.

"Christian said you collapsed?"

"Yeah," I repeated, successfully grabbing his wrists and pushing them downwards. I couldn't say much more – my mind was still swarmed with those horrific memories from that vile house Adrian and I had taken up residence in.

"She was about for only a couple of seconds," Christian said, his voice was faint and fading again. "I was just giving her a check-up. Blood pressure's normal-"

"Shit-" I grabbed the nearest container within my reach and threw up violently into it.

Dimitri and Christian were both by my side in a second, Dimitri holding my hair back and telling me I was ok, while Christian began checking my fever.

I leaned into Dimitri's chest, feeling weak and disgusting at the same time. I was too tired to move, let alone try and get out of Dimitri's grasp so as not to gross him out.

"Her temperature's normal," Christian informed and worried-looking Dimitri. "I'm not sure what's going on with her, but I'd like to do some more tests."

Dimitri agreed wholeheartedly, all the while letting me rest my head on his shoulder and stroking my forehead soothingly.

"Rose, would you mind sitting up here for me please? Rose?"

"Roza…" Dimitri's voice vaguely registered with me as he whispered in my ear. I tried to shake off the flashbacks, but I was finding it hard to breathe again.

"Rose, can you hear me?" I tried to nod numbly back but all I could see now was Adrian's menacing smile as he pushed his way into my bedroom…with two other men…

"_Here she is, boys," he turned and gave them a sly smirk. The two men were looking at me in my rough pj's like I was piece of meat. "Told you she was a looker."_

_I grabbed my thin blanket and tried to cover myself up, hide myself from their hungry gazes. My eyes flashed to the bottle of vodka on the opposite side of the bed. I knew what was about to happen, and I wanted to remember none of it._

_I was just reaching for it when Adrian stepped in front of my outstretched arm._

"_Ah ah," he shook his head and smiled evilly at me. "We mustn't take what isn't ours, Rose." With that comment, he took a large swig, downing at least half of the clear liquid. My heart ached, as well as every other muscle in my body. Adrian had brought 'guests' last night too…and the night before that…_

"_Please…" I begged him, pleading him with everything I possibly owned. The bruises on my body throbbed, reminding me of the pain I had had to endure yesterday._

_He laughed a deep, menacing laugh…and that's when I knew it was fruitless. Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen whether I liked it or not._

_My eyes squeezed shut and I clenched the sheets, bracing myself, as the men moved forwards towards me, mouths watering and eyes silently undressing me in their minds._

"_Please, Adrian…" I felt the tears pour relentlessly from my eyes as the men reached me, their hands and fingers touching me unashamedly._

"_Now, now, Rose. This is what happens when you get on my bad side." He began to leave the room, the almost-empty vodka bottle swinging at his side._

"_Adrian!" I screamed after him as one of the men latched themselves onto my neck, the other holding my wrists together and clamping my legs down so that I couldn't wriggle free. _

_He didn't even flinch as he shut the door hard, leaving me to uselessly try and fend for myself…_

"Rose!"

I opened my eyes but jumped and screamed when I realised I couldn't see anything.

"Please, leave me alone…" My voice whimpered weakly and my limps thrashed out, my arm flung towards my face to try and remove the offensive object.

My fingers came into contact with a damp, flannel-like cloth which had been covering my eyes and I flung it away from quickly. My breaths came in short rasps as I struggled to gain control of my world.

And then my eyes came into contact with another pair of beautiful brown orbs that were looking at me – as if they could see right through me to my very soul.

"Dimitri?"

"I'm here, Rose. It's ok." He hushed me and held me against him, letting me clutch to him tightly. His scent, his clothes, his chest moving inwards and outwards – all of these things helped me shut my emotions tightly back up again.

Even when my breathing had evened out and my tears had ceased, I didn't let go of him.

A thought slammed into my mind – scarier than any other thought or flashback I'd had that evening.

Because as I clung to Dimitri Belikov, I realised that I never wanted to let him go.


End file.
